ZIP Code software to be used for Alabama vaccination information

Health officials in Alabama will soon enable local residents to search for the nearest place to get vaccinations against swine flu with a special function on the state's website.

Vaccinations are scheduled to be available in schools throughout the state from the first week of December, although supplies of shots for the H1N1 swine flu virus have been dispensed slower than planned, reports the Brewton Standard.

The state has currently only received 5,300 doses and it wants 2.8 million so that every Alabama resident can get vaccinated, although the state's 900,000 schoolchildren and teachers will be prioritized.

Dr Donald Williamson, Alabama's state health officer, told the paper: "The vaccine does not come out in a smooth, even process. We'll be challenged to get it out as early as we'd like."

When the vaccine becomes more widely available throughout Alabama, residents will be able to input their ZIP Codes and address data into the state's website to find out where they can get it.

In other news, Microsoft has developed a new website with Emory University that will partly use ZIP Code software to track the movements of swine flu across the US, according to InformationWeek.